Rising
by cheekylips
Summary: Life is never easy living in the Row, but one girl from the streets rises above the odds to become one of the most feared people in Stilwater. Set in Saints Row 1.
1. Fate

Once upon a time, Saints Row had been the vision of peace and serenity. It was where the hardworking man lived with his wife and two-point-whatever kids. It had been created, in some hope, that it would to add some class to the poverty stricken Shivington but instead the opposite had happened.

Parts of the seedy Red Light district and the underdeveloped Shivington had slowly begun to take over the Row and now, however many years later, the Row stood just as impoverish as the surrounding districts.

Saints Row is also where I grew up.

Like so many other Row kids, I had a fucked up childhood but it was a childhood that gave me the talents I had today.

Talents which included being able to pick a lock in fifteen seconds, steal a car in ten and be able to spell Massachusetts (don't ask) in five.

I'd never had much going for me, always in trouble with either the law or one of the gangs that run Stilwater but it was a life I liked, however little I had going for me.

But that all changed when I met Julius.

I was heading towards a party I knew about, where I could crash and no one would question why I was still there in the morning.

It may have only just turned into night but already the nocturnal people were starting to come out. As I strolled down a side street, I was already seeing illegal activities. A guy was selling fake watches. He called out to me as I passed by but I ignored him, "Aww, forget you then!" He said and kept calling out to people. Past him a prostitute was already on the prowl. Her eyes ran up and down my scrawny frame, "Hey girl, you looking for any work?" She wriggled her hips suggestively and smiled at me. I paused and stared at her. Prostitution was not on my bucket list, but it reminded me that I needed money. I wondered where I could get a job.

"Oh, hell no!" My head snapped up as I heard a loud voice. The prostitute did the same thing but backed up a few steps. Three guys in yellow were motioning towards a blue tag that someone had graffiti on the wall.

"Man, fuck the Rollerz!" The guy in the middle turned to the one on his left.

"Lavar, you gonna let those bitches disrespect us?"

"Shit, whatchu think?" The one named Lavar responded, already shaking a spray can before starting to paint over the tag.

The people who were in the alley were already starting to slink away, not even trying to be discreet. As I went to turn away, three more men turned up but this time they were dressed in blue.

_Hmm, yellow meant Vice Kings and blue meant to Rollerz_. I reminded myself silently. _This could get ugly. _

As the Rollerz sauntered up to the VK's, one Roller went, "Tha fuck you think you doin'?" Tension hung thickly in the air. I tried to make myself as inconspicuous as possible. The VK turned and stared defiantly.

"Just bein' civic-minded is all." One VK replied with a disrespectful edge to his voice.

"That so?"

A VK decided to get smart with the Rollerz, "Yeah, some dumbass cracka went and shit all over this wall, we jus' cleanin' it up."

With that, the tension broke and all restraint left their bodies as a Roller threw the first punch in response to the remark. Then it became a small brawl, full of fists and too much ego.

I took a couple of steps backwards, though the hooker was too scared to move. One of the Rollerz received a punch from a VK and obviously decided he couldn't take anymore because he took off, abandoning the other two and pushed past me. As I was staring at the Rollerz retreating back, an engine roared into the scene, making the rest of the guys pause. A red convertible pulled up and a guy with a bandanna pulled over his nose and mouth started to wave an SMG towards the VK's and Rollerz, sneered, "Hector says 'Buenos noche'," before letting off a spray of bullets.

Everyone took cover, most diving out of the way. Only two of the gang members weren't hit and they drew their own weapons and responded in kind. Someone managed to hit the bandanna guy and his body slumped over the side of the car. Another Carnales pushed the original driver out of the way and slipped into the driver's seat. The red convertible tried to drive away but the Roller who had run away had clearly had a change of heart because he came pushing back past the hooker and me before firing at the car. A bullet must have found the driver because the car swerved towards me. I stood, frozen for a few seconds but my sixth sense kicked in. I jumped out of the way and as I landed I twisted my ankle, making me groan in pain. However, the car jerked sharply and crashed into a wall. Smoke started to curl from the engine as flames began to rise from under the hood.

The surviving Carnales coughed from the fumes as he tried to pull himself from the wreckage. As he began to pull himself up a Rollerz ambled up, aimed his gun and put a bullet in the Carnales head. Blood and bits of brain matter splattered on the ground. His smirk only lasted a millisecond because the remaining VK shot him from behind. His body sank to the ground and the VK made his way towards me, raising his gun as his got closer. For the first time, fear flickered through my body. Stupid I know, but these kinds of fights happened all the time in the Row so you get used to it. Usually, if you don't have flags the surviving members leave you alone but this guy thought differently. "Wrong time, wrong place, bitch." He said.

I closed my eyes and heard a shot go off. I waited for the hot, sharp pain but there was nothing. Did he shoot me in the head and I was dead? I opened my eyes and blinked a couple of times as the VK lay slain at my feet, blood already making its way towards me.

"You okay, playa?" A voice asked.

I glanced up, slightly shocked at the kindness in the voice. It was deep and soothing. The man had to be in his early to mid-forties, black and dressed in a snazzy, purple outfit. Too snazzy for the Row. A guy stood behind him, dressed in purple as well.

There were only three gangs of bangers in Stilwater and none of them wore purple but a bit of information flashed in my head. Apparently there was a new, small gang, just starting out. What were they called again? The Sharks? The Sinners? No, wait, it was…it was the Saints. The Third Street Saints.

The man offered me hand to help me up. I took it and liked the way it felt safe, "Julius, let's move." The guy standing behind him was looking around and seemed to notice the rising flames coming from the car. His hair was neatly cut and his clothes looked ironed. He also looked completely out of place standing in a dirty alley way, with a smoking gun in his hand. He must have been the one who killed the VK. Maybe he wasn't so clean-cut after all.

Julius slipped my arm over his shoulder and allowed me to lean heavily on him as we staggered away from the burning mess. Troy walked beside us, holding out his gun and glancing around nervously. The car behind us finally gave into the fire and exploded, making us lurch forward.

Our odd group only made it to the next wall and Julius carefully placed me against it. With gentle hands, Julius prodded my leg. Satisfied after a few seconds, Julius said, "That doesn't look so bad, you should be fine," It didn't feel fine but I made myself flex it, wincing as white pain shot through my leg, "That's Troy," Julius explained, "You can thank him later."

Troy gave me a small nod that I returned, "Hey." He glanced around, seeming nervous that someone might find us.

Julius' voice drew me back to him, "The Row ain't safe no more. We got gangs fightin' over shit that ain't theirs, and if you get in the way, they don't care if you representing or not." I didn't know how to respond. If I hadn't lived in the Row all my life then this incident would had proved the truth in his words. But what surprised me was he seemed to be genuine. I searched his face, looking for any sign of deception, however I found none. Still, I find myself feeling a little wary of his motives. Men don't just help woman without wanting something in return.

Suddenly, Troy's voice cut through, "Julius, this is no time to be recruiting." He was motioning around the wreckage behind us.

Recruiting for what?

"We need all the help we can get, son." Julius replied.

"No, we need to get our asses out of here." Troy shot back, sounding impatient.

Julius noticed his tone and half turned to face him, a slight scowl on his face, "In a minute!" He ordered, sounding, for the first time, annoyed. He turned back to me, sounding more urgent, "Look, the Row's got a problem. Come to the church if you want to be part of the solution."

With that he stood and turned to walk away. I watched his retreating back, wishing that I could follow him. My eyes flickered to Troy and he caught my gaze. I had never been the analytical type so I couldn't quite work out the look that flashed in his eyes. But as quick as it was there, it disappeared. Troy gave me a nod before following Julius.

I sat there, stunned for a few moments. Did that just happen? I glanced around and starting noticing that people where starting to converge around the wreckage and their eyes were landing on me, the only person who was left. I heard the sound of sirens and knew it was time to leave.

Quickly, I pulled myself up, ignoring the stab of pain in my knee and vacated the area. I thought of Troy and Julius and how Troy had followed Julius so willingly. How Julius seemed to have such a commanding air about him. Such a _powerful _air.

I mulled over his words. Being such a poor area, the Row was an easy target for the three gangs to fight over. Since there were consent gang fights in the area, police were always slow to react, always wanting to pretend that it wasn't happening unless it was happening before their eyes.

I lifted my eyes to look around. The Row wasn't much but it was where I had grown up. Where I had learnt and started my career as a petty criminal.

All at once, Julius' words made sense. I didn't want the Row to be torn apart because of some _boys _that wanted to show that their dicks were bigger than the next guys.

Besides, I had nothing to lose so why not give the Saints a try.

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**This is my first try at Saints Row, so please read and review to let me know how I did :)**


	2. Reclaiming

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To be honest, I didn't know what to expect when I turned up to the church to join the Saints. Maybe a party of some sorts, welcoming all new members but as it turns out, I was the only new member and as such, it was their duty to canonize me.

Canonize is a fancy word they used to hide the fact that they just wanted to beat the tar out of me. As four people strode out of the crowd it came to mind that this was the time to impress Julius and whoever else I'd be working with.

I heard some people chuckle as they took in my appearance. I had always been on the scrawny side with an almost non-existent chest and the drugs I used on occasion didn't help my figure either. I tried not to think of my hair. I'd been so out of it once; I'd woken up to see my long, dark hair gone and in its place was a short, shaggy, bleach blonde mop instead.

I surprised them when I tripped the first guy and smashed his face into a nearby head stone. I smirked at their surprise. I may be small but I was fast and I had years of street fighting experience to back me up. Three more people moved towards me to take his place. The first two were easily displaced but the last guy caught me with a hit to the head that made me see stars. I staggered back and tripped over a low head stone. The guy snorted and started towards me. I shook my head a couple of times to clear it. I could hear people calling out, thrilled that I was in a susceptible position.

Taking a deep breath I drew back my leg and jerked it back, landing a hard kick to the guys stomach. Ignoring that throbbing pain in my head, I pulled myself up and tripped him as well but this time I straddled him and began smashing his face with my fists. I heard a satisfying crunch as his nose broke and blood started to gush out of it as a result.

I leaned back to admire my handiwork. People started to cheer. I looked around to see that they were cheering _for me._ A wonderful rush went through me.

Troy wondered up and offered me a hand up, "You earned your colours today." He said smiling, though the smile was slightly disbelieving. Another guy came up from behind, grinning widely. He had chocolate skin and an easy smile. He wore jeans, a purple shirt, a thick denim jacket and a purple visor that he'd pushed to the side, "That's some impressive shit!" He said, slapping his hand on my shoulder, "The only other girl I've ever seen kick ass like that was Lin."

But even as I heard their compliments, I found myself looking for Julius. To see if he'd seen how well I'd done. I saw him striding down the stone steps like a king, his knowing smile telling me I had won his approve.

It was that moment that I became a Saint.

"I'm not even sure we should be taking you along with us," I glance around to face Troy, feeling a little insulted. "I'm mean, are you sure we shouldn't take Johnny instead, Julius?"

Julius nodded from the seat beside me. "Don't worry about it Troy, I know the kid can do it."

At a tip of Troy's, Julius, Troy and I were driving towards docks at the Southern end of Harrowgate, where there was supposed to be a turf war going on between all of the gangs. And if we killed the lieutenants that were there, then Saints Row would be cleared of other gangs and the Third Street Saints would finally have a solid stronghold in Stilwater. But it seemed that Troy was in two minds about having me come along.

I'll admit I hadn't been in the Saints for very long. It'd been three weeks since I'd been canonized into the Saints. However, it was obvious that I was destined to be in a gang. My enthusiasm for gang life was helped by the fact that I wanted to protect the Row, and the strong liking for violence I had didn't hurt either.

Being in the Saints suddenly gave me a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging somewhere, something I'd never had before.

I snuck another glance at Troy, and then turned back to the road in front of us just in time to narrowly miss another car coming towards us. "I'm not even sure she's old enough to have a licence." Troy grumbled.

I blink. "You mean you need a licence to drive?" I say. Troy begins to stutter in the back while Julius chuckles but he stops as we pull up.

"Don't worry playa, you stick with Troy and me, you'll be fine." His deep, reassuring voice comes from beside me as we slip into the mix of blue, yellow and red, guns blazing.

With just three of us, we were lucky that the other gangs were so concerned with each other and not us. By the time they realised we were there, we'd already swept past in a haze of bullets and bloodshed.

I paused and ducked behind a wooden box to reload my Vice 9. Troy covered me, shooting a Roller in the chest before swinging back beside me. Julius was several yards behind us, ensuring that no one would shoot us from the back.

"Only one left," Troy puffed. "Behind the Zomkah up ahead."

"No problem." I say, jumping out from the box. I duck as a bullet narrowly misses my head and I shoot the offender. The Vice King lieutenant faces me and raises his own gun but I'm quicker than him. I pull the trigger of my gun several times before he goes down.

There is a sudden stillness in the air as the bullets stop flying. We are the only three left standing and I can feel happiness spreading throughout my body.

"What did I tell ya, Troy? The girl's a natural!" Julius and Troy are coming towards me, Julius grinning broadly while Troy has a small, surprised smile on his face. In the distance, I can hear the sirens of the Five-O heading towards the area.

Troy must have heard them too because he says. "Shit, why can't this ever be easy," He mutters then he looks around to Julius and me. "The cops are comin' man, we gotta lose them."

I rush to the Zomkah and begin to fiddle with the ignition. "Hurry up, we haven't got much time." I call out as the car roared into life.

They both slide in and the car's tyre's squeal as I rush out the docking area. I double back the way we came and it seems to work as the siren get fainter the further away we get. Troy is glancing out the back window, checking for flashing lights but there isn't any. "Alright we lost 'em."

Again, happiness swells up inside of me and I can't help but feel smug as I head towards the church, where Julius is going to hold a meeting. In a brilliant display of bloodshed and bullets, we had done it. We'd finally cleared out the Row. For the first time in a long time, people wouldn't have to fear having a small scale war going on in their backyards and best of all it meant that the we had control over Saints Row.

When we arrived at the derelict church, Julius walks inside almost immediately but Troy calls me back. "Hey, you did good today. Where'd you learn to shoot like that?"

"It's just raw talent." I tell him with a shrug. Troy looks at me sharply as I brush by him, stepping over the shattered remains of broken headstones. Entering the church, I worm my way into the crowd until I'm near the front. I spot the Saint whose nose I'd broken in my canonizing. He meets my eye and steps back a little. I feel a smirk working its way onto my mouth, that'll teach him for underestimating people.

"Listen up people. I got some serious shit to discuss." My head snaps up to the alter where Julius was standing, staring at us gravely.

As I listened to Julius talk I realised the he wanted to run the other gangs out of town. To ensure that Stilwater was protected by the Third Street Saints, instead of being torn apart. In the meeting, I finally meet the lieutenants I was to work with. First there was Dex, one of the guys who'd congratulated me on the day of my canonizing. Dex may have looked young but I soon learnt that under his lopsided visor was the brain of an expert taction. He always liked to be four steps ahead of everybody else and this was the reason why he'd been given the oldest gang in Stilwater, the Carnales. He seemed pleased to have been given the challenge.

To my surprise, and Julius' disgust, Troy refused the Vice Kings but Johnny Gat stepped up to the plate instead. Johnny seemed to be only older than me by a few years, placing him in his early twenties at the most. He was solid but lanky and his sharp Asian features were marred by a dark smirk, making him look like a smug, homicidal first-grader. With his shoot first and never ask questions attitude, we would soon become great friends.

The last Lieutenant, and only chick, was Lin. She was the only one of us who wasn't wearing purple; instead she donned a pair of blue pants to blend in undercover with the Rollerz, although it was with some unwillingness that she used her feminine side to her advantage. After watching her punch a guy in the jaw for calling her a ho, I knew she was the kind of girl I could connect with.

After introductions, I was told to go to these three for instructions to help clear Stilwater of the other gangs.

I couldn't wait to get started because like Julius said, "It's our time now."


	3. Rescue

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I couldn't help but give an exhilarated laugh as I raced down the street, weaving in and out of traffic. Living in Stilwater gave a person certain responsibilities when driving, such as keeping a heavy foot on the pedal and ignoring all road rules. But driving with a car full of Vice Kings behind you meant that I can be downright reckless, going up on the side walks and such.

The two girls in the back both squeal as a bullet slammed into my side mirror, shattering the glass into pieces that fell onto the road. I glanced into the rear view mirror to see a Vice King leaning out his window, aiming his gun so he could kill me. I turned to the girls in the back, "Get down!" They complied, the two of them throwing themselves down across the seat. I looked at the girl beside me, "Can you shoot?" I ask. She gives me a horrified look, terror filling her eyes but she swallowed then nodded her head. I handed my pistol to her along with the instructions, "Just aim and shoot, okay? Watch out for the kick."

With shaking hands, she thrusts the gun out the window and aims for the Vice Kings but when she shoots, the bullet goes wild. I almost sigh; this was going to be harder than I thought.

I knew that this job wasn't going to be easy. I'd been meeting with Johnny for the first time when he'd received a call from a girl named Aisha, saying that her sister had been kidnapped by the Vice Kings. He told me to go get her and bring her back to the church. I had to follow the car to where they were holding the girls. I pulled up at the end of the parking lot, checked my Vice's to see if they full and stepped out of the car. My canvas shoes made no sound as I trotted up to the open door.

"Hey! You!" One guy had spotted me and was calling out. "You can't be here." I smirked and whipped out my gun and fired. Luckily enough, the guy was big so I didn't miss.

I knew that the guy calling out and the shot I had fired had alerted the others inside that someone was here so I jogged over to the door and peered in. A bullet missed my head by a few inches. I flinched back, took a deep breath and jumped out, firing as I went. I managed to hit the first guy standing in the way but I had to duck back as I missed the second. I could hear another person in the back, calling out.

"It's just a chick, don't worry. Easy enough." The guy in front of me said. I frowned at his words and stepped out again. I pulled the trigger a few times and a couple of rounds hit him in the chest. I aimed at the guy towards the back. The first bullet flew past his head but the next one found its mark in his forehead. I checked around for anyone else but that seemed to be it. I started towards the back, to where I could hear a girl sobbing.

Once I reached the girls I tried the door knob but it wouldn't budge, "Hey is there a key for the door?" I ask. There's a long pause before someone answers.

"The guy with the key went to Tee 'N' Ay."

I jumped back into my car and sped out of the lot to the strip club. Arriving at the strip club, I find three men in yellow, sitting at the bar, watching a girl slide up a pole and sipping their drinks. Anger flared as I thought of what they were going to do with Aisha's sister and the other girls. I slipped my Vice 9 from my inside my jacket and started walking over to where they sat. Two were wearing jeans and yellow shirts. One even had a head band on while the last guy was dressed in yellow pimp outfit, right down to the feathered, zebra band hat. One guy spared me a glance as I got closer. I saw his eyes rake me up and down, taking in my jeans, purple shirt and jacket. His eyes found the gun in my hand and he began to fumble around for his own gun but I was quicker. I fired off the clip before jumping behind an upturned table. People had scattered when I'd fired the gun, strippers ducked into the back rooms, leaving behind myself and the Vice Kings.

While reloading, I peered around the side of the table to see if I'd done any damage. I saw a VK lying on the ground whilst another one was sitting back in a chair, clutching his stomach. Okay, that's two, so where was the pimp?

"Too slow, bitch." I looked up and he brought butt of his gun down on my head. I gasped as pain erupted throughout my head and ran down my spine. Blood gushed from the wound, blinding me as it dribbled down my face.

Adrenaline must have kicked in because the pain began to fade and everything came back into focus. I reached out blindly, grabbing hold of his legs tightly and pulled them from underneath him. He landed with a loud '_thump'_.

While he was down, I wiped the blood from my eyes and shot him. I searched his pockets for the keys, finding them in a pocket of his under jacket.

I turned to run out of the club, ripping the sleeve off my jacket and pressing the cloth to my bleeding head as a make shift bandage.

I sped out of the parking lot, clipping someone as I went. I knew there wasn't a lot of time before more Vice Kings would show up, so I drove like a mad woman, ignoring my seatbelt.

The tyres squealed when I pulled up back in front of the girls holding place. Luckily, there wasn't anyone there just yet.

I scrambled out of the car, gripping the keys tightly in my hand, the other gripping my gun. I get to the door, unlock and look inside.

When the door swings open, I'm greeted by the smell of blood and urine. I rake my eyes over the girls; thankfully all of them seem clean of both.

The three girls huddled together at the back of the room. "We need to go," I tell them glancing towards the entrance to make sure no one was coming in. I didn't know who was Aisha's sister, but I was leaning towards the dark girl with an 'I love Aisha' t-shirt on. They don't move and I realise I probably don't seem like the usual saviour, what with being covered with blood and all. "I was sent by Johnny Gat." I add when none of them move.

The dark girl's eyes light up with recognition and she stands eagerly, motioning for the other two to follow. The others look at me uncertainly then stand. "We need to be quick, they'll be arriving soon."

I lead them back to the car, rubbing the blood from my face, wincing as a massive headache started coming on.

Just as we reach the car, a yellow sedan comes screeching around the corner. They all look extremely pissed off, yelling and pointing at us. "Hurry up! Get in!" I command, shoving one of the girls into the back seat before running around to the driver's door.

And this is how I ended up racing down the streets of Stilwater, trying to shake the Vice Kings from my ass.

Feeling a little desperate, I slam on the brakes and pull over. The Vice Kings pass us with their eyes bulging with shock. The driver pulls over too, and the three VK's get out of the car. I rip my gun from the girl beside me, reload and get out of the car. Using my door as cover, I fire at them. I look over at the girl, who was crouching down, covering her head with her hands. "My other gun is under the seat," I tell her as bullets ting against the car door. "I need you to get it for me." She stares blankly at me, tears dripping down her face.

Aisha's sister reaches over, holding out my gun to me. "Here." She says, shaking it a little.

I smile at her and grab it. I stand, pulling the triggers of both guns. I wince as a bullet grazes my leg but I grit my teeth, knowing it was now or never.

First one falls, and then another and then the last ones goes down, clutching his chest.

Breathing heavily, I glance around then hop back into the driver's seat so I can haul ass outta there. I keep to the back streets, hoping to avoid any more trouble.

It's silent in the car, aside from the girls shuddering breaths as they try to calm down. Only, Aisha's sister seems calm. She has her arm wrapped around the girl beside her, trying to soothe her.

Soon the church is in sight and I pull up in the one parking space there is and hop out. A group of Saints come rushing over, helping the girls out and leading them into the church.

I feel like I'm going to pass out so I sit down on a headstone as a Saint comes over. He glances at the cut on my head and the way I'm holding my leg, before calling out to someone. He grasps my arm, trying to help me. "Someone will stitch that up in the church." He mutters. I pull my arm from his grasp and try to walk as steadily as I can up the steps.

Inside, I can see a group of people surrounding the girls so I know they're being looked after. I sit down on one of the pews and an older Saint comes rushing up. I let him check my head. He clicks his tongue then calls out to a passing guy. "I need my bag," He says and the guy rushes off, apparently knowing what the old guy was talking about. "This will need stitches. Are you hurt anywhere else?"

I show him my leg but he only glances at it. "It's only a scratch, nothing to worry about. Ah, yes, thank you," He said as the guy returned with a little medical kit. "You won't faint if I don't numb it first?"

I've never fainted in my life and I don't plan on starting now, so I nod my head and let him begin. I wince as the needle pierces my skin and as the thread pulls the cut together.

I watch as Johnny walks up to Aisha's sister and pulls her away from the other two. He spots me and smirks, waving as he walks away with Aisha's sister.

As I watch them walk away I can't help but feel a little satisfied.


End file.
